Shangri-La Putrajaya at midnight, Japanese fireworks lighting up the sky marking fifty years of Independence. Millions of ringgit to create a spectacle for the small group of Malaysians and tourists watching in the aircon comfort of the hotel and the thousands more outside sweating it out along the lake and thoroughfare. It felt strangely sterile, unlike the exuberance and pride I felt last year even as the skies lit up – perhaps because we couldn’t hear the booms – just see the flash and sparks. Almost a mirror to what I felt – Malaysia – all flash and no substance? After the brilliance – darkness heralds? Harsh I know and I dread to see it coming true. But all that had happened in this past year sapped the hope and promise I had felt a year ago that we could actually transcend greed and selfishness for a better Malaysia.
The hypocrisy that was latent before (in my naivete) , came into full bloom and is strutting unashamedly in full view of Malaysians and the rest of the world . But we must not criticise, comment or appear to deviate from the party line that requires blind allegience amid the platitudes and lip service to ‘open dialogue’ and ‘democracy’. NATO (No Action Talk Only) seems to be the order of the day in all aspects of Malaysian life. Meanwhile, life rolls merrily along for Malaysians who are cushioned from the harsher realities of life that price hikes, high petrol prices and shrinking purchasing power of the ringgit that others contend with. Not to mention the higher cost of doing business amid an atmosphere that doesn’t seem safe. We surround ourselves with guard dogs, gates and gentlemen paid to stay awake and alert – both my neighbours have acquired canine alarms while I place my faith in the inanimate still.
Our hearts are in our mouths when a loved one gets on an express bus. After all, we have a system that promotes profit over safety and integrity (frequency of runs is rewarded – not a summons-free drive for both bus and lorry drivers) . We reward those who work ’smart’, dress and speak well especially of the powers that be , over those who work hard and are principled. We preach teamwork , shared values and excellence but hand out rewards and accolades to ‘flash in the pan’ shooting stars while ignoring the rest of the team’s contribution ( the TV coverage for the under 23 football striker and his twin who scored one goal in the final game against Myanmar in the Merdeka tournament is a case in point). Hey, we even allow an ex IGP convicted of assaulting a hapless prisoner to give us advice on how to be united! We preach religious tolerance while silently consenting to religious rehabilitation camps. We close our eyes to persistent reports of mismanagement, bailouts, dubious projects on foreign shores and questionable exercise of authority.
Admittedly we do get jolted out of our apathy when a horrific accident occurs whether on the road or in the sky due to a persistent lack of good judgement and follow through. We’d rather not ask ourselves why money could not be allocated for new helicopters until the death toll became intolerable. (But it’s only the lives of our soldiers and airmen we risk – other govt personnel do not use Nuris to get around). Or why buses with outstanding summonses or considered unroadworthy are allowed on the road. How about the lack of clean up in the city even with it being Visit Malaysia Year – tourists are snapping hp pix of the garbage piled up in places like Puduraya (Since we insist on keeping a bus terminal in the middle of the city, we can at least work harder at keeping the area clean, can’t we?) But Malaysians have notoriously short memories..Bukit Gantang and the Nuri crash will fade away from our collective consciousness the same way the Highland Towers tragedy and Karak accident did.
Will what we build now carry us into the future? The question posed in one of Yasmin Ahmad’s Petronas ads for this year’s Merdeka. It is a clever ad – a simple story of a man who wanted to stop building boats for a living and work as a security guard in the city to pay off his debts. His creditor offers a solution – build a boat for him as payment for his debt. The man builds a boat but takes shortcuts, uses inferior material and paints over the defects and old wood. The boat is completed and placed in the water to be handed over. To his surprise, the creditor gives it to him along with an outboard motor and good news of projects that would require a boatman – a gift of opportunity for a better future. He returns jubilant to the jetty, with the motor, only to discover that the boat is sinking, slowly but surely.
So we ask ourselves, have what we built – roads, buildings, financial institutions, education systems, judicial systems organisations, businesses – take us into a brave new world – into the next fifty years or will they fail us, if they haven’t already? Do we have the gumption to roll our sleeves up, drag them into the open and hold it up to scrutiny in order to fix them?
If we had a common value system, share the same goals and work towards the same objective as a nation of people who walk the talk at all stages in our lives, then perhaps I would be optimistic and jubilant on our nation’s birthday. But I sense the hesitance and the fear that the majority of Malaysians emanate – to hold people we elect accountable for how they run the country. We do not enforce any punishment, objection or displeasure at the inequities and inefficiencies. Worse still , we accept their silence and avoidance of critical decisions and actions that demonstrates that we are respected. “Kata tidak dikota” seems to be the norm. For we are afraid of what will happen to us – promotions and pensions withheld, contracts cancelled , demotions, cold storage - all still mild compared to the ISA and Kamunting. If only the fear could be said to be unfounded.
Another question was raised by the Sun in an issue, as run up to Merdeka – Do we deserve the Independence that our founding fathers fought so hard for? Sometimes I feel as if we are monkeys being given a flower – we have absolutely no appreciation of its beauty and no conception of its fragility. Our youth must have the courage that we lack for they will inherit this country from us, warts and all. So much depends on them rising above the mediocrity and conformity devils that hobble our education system. Perhaps when it comes to their turn, they will cherish and protect it and leave no room for the monkeys .
I may not live to see Malaysia’s centennial, but I pray that I do live to see that with enough prayer, courage and strength Malaysians will reclaim this land from those who seek to colonise our spirits, beliefs and principles. It may not be perfect even then but at least it will be a journey towards the light and not from it. Perhaps, unlike the spectacular fireworks of yesterday, there shall be a sense of fulfilment and shared purpose, even after the flash has died down..
